The invention relates in general to a stapling device for connecting sheets arranged in a stack by staples and, more particularly, to a stapling device comprising a driving element and a stapling head, which can be actuated by said driving element and is movable into contact with an anvil and being adjustable to a plurality of selectable stapling positions.
By a publication in Research Disclosure Bulletin, Item No. 15 710 of May 1977, a stapling device of a finishing unit of a copier has been disclosed which is guided on guide rods and can be adjusted to a plurality of selectable stapling positions. If the stapling head does not function properly, for example because a deformed staple has jammed, the device has to be disassembled in a time-consuming manner in order to repair the stapling device outside the unit.
In order to eliminate jamming, it is also known for part of the stapling head of a desktop stapling device to be designed as a pivotable element. However, in the case of such a device, the cause of the jamming typically cannot be determined because the corresponding functional elements are hidden and are not visible from outside. If functional elements are damaged, therefore, jamming may recur, and attempts at eliminating the damage will fail so that the stapling device becomes unusable.
In the case of both of these known stapling devices, repeated jamming in the stapling head results in long close-down periods of the stapling device. In particular, if the stapling device is held in engagement with driving and guide means which allow adjustment to a plurality of stapling positions, exchanging or repairing a defective stapling device takes a lot of time during which the stapling device is out of use.